Use My Voice (song)

"Use My Voice" Released August 14, 2020 Length 4:02 Producers Nick Raskulinecz Label BMG Chronology The Bitter Truth "Better Without You" "Use My Voice" "Take Cover"

"Use My Voice" is a song from Evanescence's fifth studio album, The Bitter Truth. It's the third single from the album. It was originally planned as the first single, but "Wasted on You" was chosen instead due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was rumoured it would serve as a soundtrack to Eric D. Howell's graphic novel The Revolution Of Cassandra, but the song was inspired by it.

Background

The song was registered on ASCAP in June 2020 and it was written with VERIDIA's frontwoman, Deena Jakoub. It features backing vocals from female singers "to create the tidal wave of girl power": Lzzy Hale, Deena Jakoub, Lindsey Stirling, Taylor Momsen, Sharon den Adel, Amy McLawhorn (Troy's wife), Jen Majura, and Amy's sisters, Lori and Carrie.

For the release of the song, the band teamed up with HeadCount which is a non-profit, non-partisan organization to help make it easy to register to vote for U.S. citizens. If you visit www.usemyvoice.org between August and September 30, 2020 to get yourself vote-ready (for U.S. citizens only), you will get access to a free, private online performance from Evanescence in October. For fans outside the U.S. they can pledge to vote here and they will also get sent the link for the performance nearer the time.

Just like the previous singles, the song was premiered in a Zoom call with the band a day before its release. Fans who pre-saved it on streaming services entered for a chance to attend the Zoom call.

On the release date, Amy explained the song:

This is an era of awakening and full of powerful beauty. I hope to inspire others to seek truth, find their own voices and use them as I step up to use mine. Don’t let anybody speak for you. Only you can do that.

The single artwork contains the same moth from The Open Door's artwork, which is a homage to that era. Amy told MTV News that "Use My Voice" was inspired by how she's been feeling about the state of the U.S.:

“As we were recording it, I was listening back to my own words and started asking myself, ‘What can I do to use my voice? How can we use our platform for good and empower people?’ I believe that this is a very important, revolutionary time,” she shares. “Things are messed up. I’ve never been political publicly — I’ve kept that part of myself private because I see music as a place to get away from our differences and find unity. We need to be unified now more than ever, but I finally feel in my heart that if I’m going to be true to my word. It’s time to use my voice to help promote our future.”

Amy was also inspired to write the song after hearing the statement of Chanel Miller, who was sexually assaulted on the campus of Stanford University in 2015:

"I was so inspired by her statement to her abuser at the end of the trial. The one thing they couldn't take away was her voice and her ability to simply speak her truth."

A 1-minute demo of the song was included on The Bitter Truth Evolution cassette that comes on the album's deluxe fan box set. A instrumental version of the song was included on Side B of the cassette.

Music video

Evanescence - Use My Voice (Official Music Video)

A music video was shot by Eric D. Howell in late July in Nashville, TN. A preview was shown during Amy Lee's CBS interview on August 26, 2020. The video premiered on August 28, with Amy taking part of a live Q&A, in which she revealed the video was shot in three separate shoots. One in Nashville with the guys and Amy, one in Cologne, Germany with Jen, and one in Minneapolis where Eric, the director, is from.

A behind the scenes video was released on September 9. Watch it here.

Lyrics

Cover my ears and close my eyes Just long enough to stop the noise Go on take everything and throw it away But I will use my voice Drown every truth in an ocean of lies Label me bitch because I dare to draw my own line Burn every bridge and build a wall in my way But I will use my voice Whether you like it or not, you're gonna take what I got If we can't talk about it, we'll just keep drowning in it Give me credit or not I give a lot, give a lot But don't you speak for me No, don't you speak for me Never mind me, I'm a waste of your time I'm never gonna fit in the box that you need And I can read between the lines, yeah Gather your friends and wave your gun in my face But I will use my voice Whether you like it or not, you're gonna take what I got If we can't talk about it, we'll just keep drowning in it Give me credit or not I give a lot, give a lot But don't you speak for me But don't you speak for me Whether you like it or not [x4] One day soon it's gonna fall back on you No more lies, we're gonna break right through Like it or not If we can't talk about it, we'll just keep drowning in it Give me credit or not I give a lot, give a lot But don't you speak for me No, don't you speak for me Don't you speak for me!

Credits

• Amy Lee - vocals, piano, keyboards, lyricist, composer
• Deena Jakoub - composer, lyricist, guest vocals
• Carrie South - guest vocals
• Lori Lee Bulloch - guest vocals
• Taylor Momsen - guest vocals
• Lzzy Hale - guest vocals
• Lindsey Stirling - guest vocals
• Sharon den Adel - guest vocals
• Amy McLawhorn - guest vocals
• Jen Majura - guest vocals, guitar
• Troy McLawhorn - songwriting, guitar
• Tim McCord - songwriting, bass guitar
• Will Hunt - songwriting, drums
• Nick Raskulinecz - producer, mixer
• Tiago Nunez - programmer
• Nathan Yarborough - engineer
• Logan Greeson - assistant engineer
• Tyler Dragness - guitar tech
• Chris (JC) Dires - drum tech
• Ted Jensen - mastering engineer

References

• home • Songs

The Bitter Truth Artifact/The Turn • Broken Pieces Shine • The Game is Over • Yeah Right • Feeding The Dark • Wasted On You • Better Without You • Use My Voice • Take Cover • Far From Heaven • Part of Me • Blind Belief Synthesis Overture • Never Go Back • Hi-Lo • My Heart Is Broken • Lacrymosa • The End of the Dream • Bring Me To Life • Unraveling (Interlude) • Imaginary • Secret Door • Lithium • Lost In Paradise • Your Star • My Immortal • The In-Between (Piano Solo) • Imperfection Evanescence What You Want • Made Of Stone • The Change • My Heart Is Broken • The Other Side • Erase This • Lost In Paradise • Sick • End Of The Dream • Oceans • Never Go Back • Swimming Home Deluxe Edition A New Way To Bleed • Say You Will • Disappear • Secret Door Outtakes (2010 sessions) Perfect Dream • You Got a Lot to Learn • Take Cover • Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing The Open Door Sweet Sacrifice • Call Me When You're Sober • Weight of the World • Lithium • Cloud Nine • Snow White Queen • Lacrymosa • Like You • Lose Control • The Only One • Your Star • All That I'm Living For • Good Enough iTunes pre-order bonus track The Last Song I'm Wasting On You B-Sides Together Again • If You Don't Mind Fallen Going Under • Bring Me To Life • Everybody's Fool • My Immortal • Haunted • Tourniquet • Imaginary • Taking Over Me • Hello • My Last Breath • Whisper B-Sides Farther Away • Missing • Breathe No More Pre-Fallen Material Mystary EP (2003) My Last Breath (Mystary EP Version) • My Immortal (Mystary EP Version) • Farther Away (Mystary EP Version) • Everybody's Fool (Mystary EP Version) • My Immortal Origin (2000) Origin • Whisper • Imaginary (Origin Version) • My Immortal • Where Will You Go (Origin Version) • Field Of Innocence • Even In Death • Anywhere • Lies • Away From Me • Eternal Whisper/Sound Asleep EP (1999) Give Unto Me (Sound Asleep Version) • Whisper (Demo Version #1) • Understanding (Sound Asleep version) • Forgive Me • Ascension Of The Spirit Evanescence EP (1998) Where Will You Go? (Evanescence EP Version) • Solitude • Imaginary (Evanescence EP version) • Exodus • So Close • Understanding (Evanescence EP version) • The End Evanescence EP Outtakes My Immortal (Evanescence EP Version) • Give Unto Me (Evanescence EP version) • October • Untitled Song